Chapter 2

After eating, Cy caught one of their other horses and whistled for his other two dogs, Slink, a black and white Greyhound, and Burt, a big Husky-German shepherd mix. They came from the vicinity of the barn, where they had most likely been hunting mice or rabbits. Pudge rode in his place of prestige in front of Cy, adept at balancing himself as the horse moved.

Cy rode down the road for a couple of miles and then turned right onto a long lane that cut through a thin line of trees. On the other side of the trees, a huge ranch came into view. Horses filled the pastures, their neighs carrying to him on the breeze. His maternal uncle, David Lone Wolf, had followed in the Comanche tradition of being an excellent horseman and skilled horse breeder, and owned the expansive, successful ranch.

Their horses were of the finest quality, which was the main reason the family was tolerated around the region. They’d been providing excellent horses to the military and anyone else looking for good horses for decades. Cy’s cousin, Daniel, had taken over the breeding and training side of the operation, while David concentrated on the financial aspect of it.

At a signal from Cy, the dogs stayed close to him. He didn’t trust them not to chase the horses if he let them roam free. Tying the horse to the hitching post outside the large, two-story stone house, Cy had barely taken three steps from his horse until Daniel came out of the house, raising his hands high in the air.

Whereas Cy had cut his hair short when he’d left Chance City at the age of eighteen, Daniel had fully embraced his Comanche heritage, letting his black hair grow long. It reached almost to his waist, and he had no intention of cutting it. He didn’t color the center part as their ancestors had, but he did wear a scalp lock, a small, braided section of hair that fell on the right side of his head.

While the Comanche for the most part were a shorter statured people, Cy and Daniel’s white heritages included some taller people along the line and both men stood over six feet tall. While Cy’s eyes were dark, Daniel’s were a clear, sky-blue in hue. When he was at home during the warmer months, Daniel wore a traditional breechcloth and nothing else, even if people came over. He didn’t care if they liked it or not.

“A’ho, cousin!” he said. “I see Johnny gave you my message.”

“A’ho. Yeah.” Cy jogged up the porch steps and grasped arms with Daniel. “So, what have I been summoned for?”

Daniel smiled. “I have something for you.”

“Uh oh. Something tells me you’re up to no good.”

“Your great detecting skills have deduced the truth once again,” Daniel said mischievously. “Stay here and close your eyes.”

Cy did and tried to be patient as he thought about all the work that waited for him at home. His mind shifted to the murder victim he’d dealt with that morning.

“Okay, open your eyes,” Daniel said, coming back out onto the porch.

Cy’s eyes rounded when he saw Daniel holding a fuzzy puppy that he instantly recognized as a Collie. “You didn’t.”

“As you can see, I did,” Daniel said. “Happy birthday.” He handed the puppy to Cy, who cuddled it against his chest. “I know your birthday isn’t until next week, but I couldn’t wait that long to give her to you. Besides, she was driving Ma crazy with her whining at night.”

Cy smiled. “I’m sure that Aunt Bonnie will be glad to be rid of her then.” He held the puppy aloft. “What am I gonna name you, huh? What’s your name?”

His dogs crowded around, curious about the puppy. Pudge panted excitedly and yapped a couple of times.

“Be nice,” Cy told the adult dogs firmly as he put the puppy down on the porch.

Pudge might be the smallest of the three dogs, but he was the undisputed leader of the canine trio. He snapped at Slink and Burt, keeping them away from the puppy, who cowered against Cy’s legs. Then the pug sniffed the puppy, making loud snuffling sounds as he thoroughly went over the younger canine, who was about the same size as him. His curly tail wagged the whole time.

Deciding that the Collie passed muster, Pudge yipped his approval and let the big dogs come forward to meet the puppy. When the puppy put her little paw on Burt’s muzzle, Burt growled. It was the wrong thing to do.

Pudge flew at him, jumping up to bite his neck and then his leg. Burt yelped and danced away. Pudge growled and then sneezed as if to say, “That’ll teach you!” Pudge pranced back to the puppy and licked her face a couple of times. Slink had backed away from the puppy, unwilling to be another target of Pudge’s anger.

Daniel burst into laughter. “It always amazes me how afraid they are of Pudge. They could eat him for lunch, but they don’t seem to realize it.”

“Don’t let Pudge’s size fool you. He’s solid muscle and his jaws are strong. Pugs are almost fearless and don’t back down easily. He has no idea that he’s little. In his mind, he’s as big as a grizzly bear and just as fierce,” Cy said. “It looks like he approves of the pup. I just gotta think of a name. One will come to me.”

“It usually does. You’re the best person at naming an animal I’ve ever seen,” Daniel said.

Cy said, “Thanks. Well, I gotta get a tree out of my barn. The storms last night did some damage. Johnny started it, but I’m not sure how far he’s gotten. And quit keeping him up till all hours. He’s worthless the next day.”

Daniel grinned. “Sorry. Do you want help with the tree? I can come over.”

“I won’t refuse the offer. You better put on more than that, though. You don’t want to get all scratched up,” Cy said.

Daniel snorted. “I think I can handle it. I’ll go tell Pa where I’m going. Be right back.”

Daphne closed her eyes in dismay when she saw the puppy. “Not another dog! Daniel, why did you buy him another one?”

“Sorry, cousin, but I thought he could use a dog to help herd the cattle,” Daniel said. “It’ll actually be useful, unlike these other mangy mutts.”

“Hey!” Cy objected. “They’re useful, just not for ranch work.”

“Sort of like you,” Daniel said.

Cy’s scowl deepened. “I do just fine.”

Daphne turned her head to hide her smile, but not in time for Cy to miss it. Daniel saw it, too, and grinned.

Cy bristled. “I do a heck of a lot better than Johnny. Besides, until six months ago, I hadn’t done ranch work for almost ten years.”

“And as I recall, you didn’t do it all that well then, either” Daniel said.

Cy glared at him before lowering the puppy to the floor so she could explore the kitchen. “Why do you think I left?”

Daphne replied, “Because you wanted to do something more exciting than ranching.”

“And because you stunk at it,” Daniel chimed in.

“Thanks,” Cy said sardonically.

They were right, though. He’d never been all that good at doing the mundane ranch work like fixing fences and branding cattle, not because he wasn’t capable, but because he had no interest in it. Hence the reason he’d hightailed it to Chicago as soon as he’d been old enough and had joined Pinkerton’s organization. He’d loved his job, and he’d still be doing it if it hadn’t been for ... no, best not to go into that.

Daphne hated the pain that flickered in Cy’s eyes for a moment. “Cy, you’re doing the best you can now. We’re just teasing you.”

“I know,” he said, smiling tightly. “Don’t worry about it. Well, let’s get to it. Will you watch the puppy?”

Daphne said, “Yes, of course.” She pointed at Daniel. “Don’t buy him any more dogs!”